Tag: Nottingham

Nottingham Saturday Preview

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I cannot remember the last time that I was left so completely bemused by Saturday’s televised racing! We have an odd mixture of All-weather racing from Kempton and some packed National Hunt fields at Haydock. The jumps racing is at that odd time of season where the going has changed and everyone is trying to get a race into their horses before the summer.

Friday’s All-weather Championship at Lingfield was a great success, not least for our followers with three winners courtesy of Ertijaal, Captain Cat and Grandeur. Only the well-backed Valbchek let us down but I had my suspicions that I ought not to be trying to untangle that particular sprint. The programmers made a big fuss of launching the new meeting on Good Friday but I’d suggest they switch it to Saturday next year to replace the moderate stuff we have on offer tomorrow.

The Newmarket Craven meeting served to remind us once again that, if in doubt, back John Gosden’s horses. He was not quite able to match his magnificent seven from Newbury last weekend but he served up three more well-backed winners. Hopefully a few of you were on the Provident Spirit/Munjaz double on Wednesday.

Tomorrow he saddles four horses, all on the turf at Nottingham. Two of them are in the same race but the form suggests that it is safe to exclude Seagull from our calculations and look for a treble with the remainder.

Paul Hanagan (I shall resist the temptation to join the band wagon slating him for his ride on Aljamaaheer) partners Zerfaal, a twice-raced son of Dubawi. He was a fair sixth on his debut at Newbury when strongly fancied last August. He was then made favourite at Kempton last month but found Crystal Lake too good. He was given a bit to do that day and has a decent chance to go one better here.

William Buick is aboard Gilbey’s Mate in the 6.45, a handicap over a mile. He ran in some smart maiden company last season. If you look at the form of his Newmarket debut he sounds like a good thing. Oustrip beat True Story with Sudden Wonder in fourth. All three are owned by Godolphin and have classic entries, the last two of them having won at Newmarket in midweek.

Court Room has been placed twice in Lingfield maidens and is the best of those with previous form. There may well be something to beat him with the likes of Stoute and Bin Suroor in opposition but we’ll go with the Gosden factor. Seagull is by Sea The Stars out of an Indian Ridge mare but I’m hoping that Buick’s decision to stick with Court Room is significant.

Zerfaal 4.45

Gilbey’s Mate 6.45 at 7-2 Bet365, Paddy Power

Court Room 7.15

Horse Racing 30th October Preview

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The racing is a bit quiet this week with some tail-end flat meetings but it hots up again this weekend with the Breeders’ Cup. Europe has sent over a team of 20 horses in total and has a good record at Santa Anita so there should be a couple of big prizes coming our way. The following week is the eagerly-awaited Melbourne Cup and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Dandino and Simenon give me a run for my money at big ante-post odds.

In the meantime there are still a few tempting wagers as the flat turf season enters its closing stages. The old saying about following a filly in form could be the way to go at Nottingham on Wednesday with Eve Johnson-Houghton’s Amulet bidding for a quick hat-trick.

The grey has won three of her five starts and likes to bowl along in front but her most recent demolition of a good field at Newbury makes her nap material tomorrow. She bounded from the gates and was always going nicely for Shane Kelly, never having to be shown the whip as she strode further and further clear in the closing stages.

Not surprisingly, connections have opted to turn her out again quickly under a 6lbs penalty before she is reassessed. The main danger could be Topamichi with Kieren Fallon booked to ride for Mark Tompkins. This one was beaten over a mile and a quarter at Sandown last time when sent off favourite and drops back to a mile here. I would expect Fallon to try to keep close tabs on Amulet but that may be easier said than done.

First Post won narrowly at Goodwood last time and has more to do here whilst Invincible Hero has bits and pieces of form but generally looks in the grip of the handicapper. With the soft ground in her favour, I’m confident that Amulet can complete her hat-trick.

Over at Kempton, I like the look of Never To Be in the Nursery at 6.40. The son of Thewayyouare had proved disappointing previous to his latest win over course and distance but he won with plenty in hand and can repeat the performance. He had previously floundered in the mud at Goodwood but is clearly a different colt on this surface.

Amulet 2.00 Nottingham 7-4 Coral, Bet365

Never To Be 7.30 Kempton 85-40 BetVictor

Nottingham Preview Wednesday 9th October

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What a spectacular victory by Treve in the Arc! I must admit that I was quite surprised by how easily she destroyed a top quality field but I was disappointed at the lack of pace. You would have thought that horses such as Leading Light and Ocovango would have been driven up to the leaders as soon as their riders realised it was going to turn into a sprint finish. Of course that doesn’t take anything away from the winner and it’s great news that she is to be kept in training at four.

We are treated to far more humble entertainment tomorrow from Nottingham with a distinct “end of season” feel about the majority of the card. Whilst there can be some good bets in maiden races at this time of year, the handicaps tend to be virtually impossible as horses are entered all over the place to try to earn their winter feed. The exception on Wednesday is a very interesting nursery at 4.00 in which Luca Cumani runs easy Newcastle scorer Volume.

I am no expert on the riding skills of Kirsty Milczarek but she looked as though she was trying very hard not to win by too far. The filly by Mount Nelson was sent off at 8-11 at Newcastle after a very promising debut third at Newmarket. She led two furlongs from home and was ridden clear to win by four and a half lengths without Milczarek having to resort to the whip. The form may not have amounted to much but the style of her victory suggests that there is a lot more to come. William Buick takes over tomorrow and is riding at the peak of form after a Monday treble.

The chief threat may come from Gold Trail who won a better looking race at Haydock at the start of September. The odds-on favourite that day was Sir Michael Stoute’s Snow Sky who has since hacked up to give the form a boost. The runner-up Tahadee did not perform quite so well when a well-beaten third at Goodwood but Gold Trail is also capable of improvement.

Top of The Glas and Bureau also have to be considered as previous winners but Volume and Gold Trail look the two with most scope and I’m siding with the Cumani filly. She is a top price of 2-1 early with Paddy Power and will hopefully get us off to a winning start to the week.

Volume 4.00 Nottingham 2-1 Paddy Power

April 10th Nottingham Preview

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The flat racing turf season has started, albeit with a bit of a whimper. The Lincoln Handicap was postponed and then provided a 20-1 winner to kick-off the so-called “Spring Double” completed by Aurora’s Encore at 66-1 in the Grand National! I don’t think even Mystic Meg will have come up with those two!

The National Hunt season still has Punchestown and the Betfred Gold Cup to come but the big flat stables are starting to roll out some quality animals this week. A midweek Nottingham card wouldn’t normally provide much excitement but there are some genuine group class horses in action on Wednesday.

The first of them is Spirit Quartz in the 3.10. The five-year-old son of Invincible Spirit was second to Aussie raider Ortensia in both the Group 2 King George Stakes and the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes last summer. On the latter occasion he had Humidor only a length and a half behind him and that horse re-opposes tomorrow. Spirit Quartz finished his season when stuck in the mud at Longchamp, this time with Humidor in front of him. I am prepared to overlook that as being a race too many. What is slightly worrying is that Robert Cowell’s horse has already been unplaced twice at Meydan in March behind Shea Shea. Hopefully the surface just didn’t suit him and he can return to his best now he is back on turf.

Another horse that I have been looking forward to is Mark Johnston’s Sir Graham Wade who is unleashed in the 3.40. He won six races last season, winning his first handicap off a mark of 80 and closing his campaign with victory in a Listed race in France. He won on everything from firm to heavy, including the Mallard Stakes at Doncaster. Kieren Fallon rode him that day and somehow managed to win cleverly in a slowly run race where four lengths covered all 12 runners at the finish. Usually that is the sign of a poor race but Sir Graham Wade won despite the slow pace and has already proved that he is better than a handicapper. Not surprisingly, Johnston is thinking along the lines of the Cup races this year so it will be a disappointment if he can’t win tomorrow.

In the 4.40 race, the word from Ed Dunlop’s stable is that Singersongwriter is better than a handicapper. Bet365 went 7-4 briefly on Tuesday but that was taken before the ink had dried and he is now showing at 10-11. That might seem a bit skinny for his first run of the season under top weight but only time will tell.

The meeting should begin with an odds-on win for Cumani and Fallon with Elhaarne and jockey Ryan Moore has an interesting book of rides. Andrew Balding also has a couple of interesting runners in handicaps with Benzanno (4.10) and Debdebdeb (5.10). It looks a well above average card for Nottingham and will be worth studying as a source of future winners.

Spirit Quartz Evens Bet365
Sir Graham Wade 6-4 William Hill
Singersongwriter 10-11 Bet365